Southend Hospital is the first within the NHS in the south east to offer a new procedure to treat symptoms arising from non-cancerous (benign) prostate growth.

The procedure speeds up surgery and improves results for patients. Many people are aware of prostate cancer, however, non-cancerous prostate growth is much more common and can cause problems with passing urine such as frequent visits to the toilet in the day and night, poor flow and urgency.

Mr Peter Acher, Consultant Urologist, said: “The Urolift® operation is a short day case procedure which only takes 15 minutes to perform, meaning patients don’t have to stay in hospital overnight. There’s now no need for a catheter and minimal side effects and post-operative complications for patients.

“Previously they would have undergone a 60-90 minute invasive procedure, typically requiring an inpatient stay, a catheter for a period of time afterwards and resulting in potential loss of ejaculation.”